The present invention concerns reclosable packaging systems substantially comprising a container body of commercial products in doses superior to the monodose, and a composite sheet to form a lid easy to open and repeatedly reclosable. In a preferred embodiment of the invention this system is characterized in that it comprises at least:--an opening edge (7);--a device to stop said opening (10);--a layer (5) of protection against the possible aggressions of the content;--a handle or grip border (8);--a device to signal tamperings (12).
A system of this kind is substantially described in the Applicant's European Patent N.sup.o 0661154 in which however several structural and technological aspects are not faced. For instance the hypothesises of a tamper evident and of an easy open are mentioned but no optimal embodiments thereof are described to obtain and impart these additional characteristics to the patented system. Moreover, in the continuation of its research works Applicant had to meet the necessity to protect the content of the tray also against possible contaminations by the components of the reclosable cover forming laminate.
It has then be ascertained that an undesirable inter-action between said content product and the lid components can occur in the sense that some particular contents may develop aggressive substances which damage or at least spoil the laminate performances, in particular can weaken the inte-layer adhesion acting on the integrity of the press-sensitive adhesive. Further from the first experiences it has been possible to ascertain the necessity to have a specific means for the "ad hoc" handling of the container, in particular to easy the catching and the separation of the outer upper layer (2) from the internal layer (3), as well as to handle in the best way the packaging both in the opening phase as in the phase to extract the contained product and in the last but not least phase of reclosure or re-seal.
The first object of the present invention is to provide a more complete and specific system to impart to said patented packaging additional structural characteristics. Moreover an other object is to maintain with more advantageous measures and means some of the characteristics already present in the patented packaging but obtained in an not-optimal and/or undefined way. These and other objects are reached with this last generation packaging having the features recited in the appended claims which are considered herewith incorporated.
It is meantime convenient to premise that the packaging technology is passing progressively from the phase in which the sole scope of the packaging is the protection and conservation of the packed product to the phase in which the packaging becomes a means utilized by the transformation industry to communicate to the final user the characteristic features of the packed product. As a conseguence of this always more important role of the packaging the relevant industry had to and is succeeding to create more and more innovations by putting on the market continuous improvements of the packaging with the scope to increase the level of the service offered to the consumer.
On the line of what has been previously happening with the rigid (unflexible) packagings (glass, metall, plastics), also in the field of the flexible packaging the concept and need of the easied openings and of the reclosures are now becoming popular. Thus also in the flexible packaging the tendency is that of transforming the mono-dose into pluri-dose packaging, at a parity of sealing and airtight, closure characteristis.
The reasons of the evolution are to:
improve the services to the consumer by offering him the possibility of consuming the packed product in several times; PA0 improve the ratio packaging cost/packed product thanks to the possibility of increasing the packed product quantity; PA0 improve the environmental impact of the packaging as again a consequence of the changed ratio packaging/contained product.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide the flexible packaging world with an innovative system of easied reclosability and openability prevailingly offered to the packagings in form of trays.
The characteristics of the reclosable packaging system according to the invention are recited in the following claims which are considered herewith incorporated.